Chapter 427 Unable to Hold Back From Meeting Her
Courtney stiffened at the sight of the injured arm. Feeling embarrassed, she wished to disappear at that very moment. “N-Nothing…”
“Then would you please help to check on my injury, Dr. Hunter?”
Holding his injured arm, Alexander calmly looked at Courtney with an expression that she could not discern. Courtney had no choice because the debridement specialist had gone home to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife, and Courtney had to fill in for him. She thought that there would not be many patients in the emergency department today, but who knew that she would meet Alexander by chance?
When she was removing the bandages, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw the look of interest in Alexander’s eyes, and she suddenly felt that this might not be a coincidence. Who comes to the hospital at 2 A.M for a wound that has been bandaged the day before?
Taking off the bandages, Courtney finally saw the terrible wound exposed, and the chaotic thoughts inside her head all disappeared at once. In fact, her hand trembled a little.
“Who bandaged you? The wound was not even cleaned up properly, and no medicine was applied. It’s only wrapped with gauze. What kind of doctor is this irresponsible? There’s so much pus.”
When Courtney didn’t hear Alexander’s reply for a long while, she looked up and met his gaze, which was sizing her up as if he was hiding his thoughts. Feeling panicked, she avoided his gaze quickly and said, “I’m going to get some medicine. Wait here and don’t move.”
Five minutes later, Courtney came back with a tray of debridement equipment and sterilizing medicine. Without saying a word, she resterilized and cleaned the wound on his arm, applied ointment and put a new gauze on. The whole time, she did not look up and had any eye contact with Alexander. After the wound was all bandaged, she packed up her equipment and went back behind the desk to give a prescription.
“It’s a moderate wound but there is an obvious infection. After I’ve bandaged it, you still have to change the dressing every day at the hospital. Avoid putting pressure on this arm in the coming days. When the scab has fully formed, you don’t need to change the dressing anymore.”
After saying this, Courtney tore off the prescription list and handed it over. “Go pay the bill, and then get the medicine.”
Alexander did not take the list, but pulled the chair out and sat down while putting on his shirt. “If I had not really been injured today, would you not say even a word to me?”
“That’s a strange thing for you to say,” Courtney spoke calmly. “There’s no animosity between us, so why shouldn’t I talk to you? We’re acquaintances after all, so it’s alright for us to merely greet each other.”
“We’re acquaintances?” Alexander’s expression was a little stiff, and he did not continue to say anything for a while.
“Your consultation is over. Don’t delay those behind you. I’m clocking out soon anyways.” Courtney spoke without raising her head. Lowering her head, she began writing on her psychology book without the slightest intention of paying him any more attention.
However, the man still sat unmoving without any intention of leaving.
“Well, that’s just in time then. When you get off work, let’s have breakfast together so that I can thank you for dressing my wound, Dr. Hunter.”
Courtney frowned. “It’s 3 A.M, I don’t think there’s a place open for breakfast.”
“When I say there is, there will be.”
“Don’t bother.” Courtney put aside her pen and looked at Alexander unhappily. “I’m a doctor and you’re a patient; you’re paying to see a doctor and I’m just working. It’s unnecessary for us to have breakfast together.”
“You would not show this attitude toward an ordinary patient, would you?” Alexander’s tone actually had a hint of joy in it.
After hearing from Hannah yesterday during dinner at the Duncan Residence that Courtney was back, he had looked up the entire staff database of all the hospitals in the city. In the end, it turned out that she was working at the Melrose City Hospital where Scott was hospitalized. She had spent five years in France working and studying as a pediatric psychologist but ended up back in Melrose City.
Of course, he could not resist coming to see her.
Stunned by his question, Courtney did not know what to say for a long time. Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to answer calmly, “You can make a complaint against me, but our hospital does not have a protocol that says we should listen to patients who stubbornly refuse to leave.”
“I’ll leave after you answer what I want to know.”
“What do you want to know?”
“When did you come back?”
The question washed away the hostility in Courtney’s gaze as she secretly squeezed her fingers, trying to make herself stop indulging in the old feelings of the past between them. Then, she coldly replied, “A month ago.”
Seeing that Alexander’s gaze was joyful, she added, “I didn’t come back for you.”
Alexander, however, looked relaxed as he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you came back?”
“Why should I tell you?” Courtney unconsciously raised her voice. “Do you really think I need to tell you everything? What kind of relationship are we in?”
She thought the relationship between the two of them had been sorted out 5 years ago, so what was the point of bringing it up again now?
“Don’t we count as friends?”
“Friends? I don’t think we can be friends.” Courtney’s heart was inexplicably filled with unhappiness. I suppose he’s the only one who has the audacity to say that. I don’t think I can be friends with any ex-lovers of mine.
“So, is that why you’re avoiding me?”
“When have I avoided you?” Courtney lifted her head, exposing her burning gaze.
“I asked around and heard that you were supposed to be on the inpatient cardiac department rotation today, but yesterday morning when Grandpa was admitted here, you suddenly transferred to the emergency department. Weren’t you avoiding Grandpa on purpose?”
“You had someone investigate me again?”
“I was afraid there might be a misunderstanding, so I came to ask you in person what’s going on.”
“Didn’t you have it all checked out? Even if I deny that there is no such thing, will you even believe me?” Courtney was angry that Alexander was still having people investigate others anyhow he liked, just like in the past.
“I believe you.” The three words echoed in the room.
In the face of his cold and certain gaze, Courtney was a little annoyed. Then, she guiltily denied, “I’m not avoiding him. I’m just temporarily helping out in the emergency department, and tomorrow morning, I will resume my usual rotation and will return. Of course, I treat my patients equally, and I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I hide from anyone?”
“Of course.” Alexander nodded slightly. “Then, thank you for taking care of Grandpa for me. I may not be able to come to the hospital to see him all the time, so I’ll have to trouble you during this time.”
Courtney glanced at him and scornfully said, “Work is important, but it’s not so important that you can’t even find the time to visit your family.”
“It’s not that I can’t find the time, it’s because… Grandpa doesn’t want to see me.”
At that, Courtney’s expression gradually tightened. She wanted to ask something, but she decided otherwise as she felt that she did not want to get involved. “Now that you’re done with the questions, you should go now, right?”
“Of course.” Alexander quickly stood up.
Before leaving, he turned back and said, “Dr. Hunter, we know each other well after all. Even if we can’t be friends, we can still greet each other when we meet. I’m not a scoundrel, and we have laws in this society. Why are you so afraid of me?”
